BAE SYSTEMS reveals Active Electronically-Scanned Array Radar for helicopters

BAE SYSTEMS has developed the world's first production Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar for helicopters. The Seaspray 7000E is being officially launched at the Farnborough International Air Show and is the latest in BAE SYSTEMS, family of Seaspray surveillance radars. The 7000E is also suitable for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and light maritime patrol aircraft.

Seaspray 7000E provides multi-mode performance in a much smaller volume and mass, with simplified installation and at a reduced cost, compared with equivalent mechanically scanned radar.

"The AESA technology together with the engineering implementation ensures that failures cause only graceful performance degradation, thus offering high operational availability," said Dr David Hughes, Executive Vice President, Helicopter Systems. "This order of magnitude improvement, in the mean time between critical failures, effectively makes Seaspray 7000E a fit and forget radar, massively reducing the requirement for spares holdings and test equipment, and significantly reducing cost of ownership."

By means of a software upgrade, the sensor can provide a wide range of extended surveillance modes, such as moving target indication and high resolution ground mapping or interface with the weapon system to provide missile target and guidance information.

Seaspray 7000E is the outcome of the on-going product development activities of the Edinburgh-based Sensor Systems Division (SSD) of BAE SYSTEMS Avionics. It comprises just two Line Replaceable Units easing installation and reducing volume and mass. The E-Processor and AESA scanner are typically at least 25% lighter than their mechanically scanned radar equivalents. Seaspray 7000E uses industry-standard interfaces to communicate with other mission sensors and avionics, and is controlled and displayed through the aircraft's Human/Machine Interface (HMI).

Seaspray 7000E's Direct Digital Synthesis generated digital pulse compression waveform supports optimised performance in all modes. The radar has been designed to function over the full spectrum of air, land and sea surveillance operational requirements. Seaspray 7000E provides small target and long range detection, target classification, using high resolution range profiling and Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging. The radar has weather and navigation modes, multiple target track-while-scan and a sensor fusion capability.

Optional modes include high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar ground mapping, Ground Moving Target Indication, air to air, Electronic Support Measures integration offering high accuracy angle of arrival information and Identification Friend or Foe integration. Seaspray 7000E features low probability of intercept coupled with a high gain antenna with low side lobe performance.

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